I had the pleasure of chatting with Mia Omara, our final Spotlight member of the year — and what a beautiful conversation it was.
Mia came to psychotherapy as a second career after working as an editor in medical publishing. Her path into this field began in 2019, when she graduated from Yorkville University. Mia’s approach is both trauma-informed and deeply human, drawing on somatic, attachment-based, EMDR, CBT, and person-centred modalities.
Her journey into therapy is a touching one. After the sudden loss of a close family member, Mia had a transformative experience with her own therapist — an experience that sparked her passion for this work and the deep curiosity about human behaviour that still guides her today.
Mia’s practice focuses on neurodiverse young adults and healthcare workers, offering both in-person and virtual sessions. Outside of therapy, Mia is a voracious reader, drawing inspiration from Stoic and Buddhist philosophies. When we spoke, she was excited about attending 2024 PESI ADHD Conference — if you’re curious, here’s the link: PESI ADHD Conference.
Mia is currently accepting new clients, and you can learn more or connect with her here: Mia on Psychology Today.
Thank you, Mia, for sharing your story and your warmth with us. You are truly a gift to this profession!
Warmly,
Mahshad
We’re a community of over 1,000 members, and I’d love to meet and showcase as many of you as possible! If you’d like to be featured, please reach out through the form below—I can’t wait to hear and share your story!
OSRP members, apply to be a Member Spotlight!
OSRP’s office will be closed from 12 p.m. ET on Tuesday, December 24, 2024, until 9 a.m. on Thursday, January 2, 2024, which means we won’t be returning phone calls or emails until January 3 or 4, 2024.
We wish you all the best for a healthy and prosperous new year!
The month of December is filled with various festivals, religious events, national days, and a multitude of celebrations that bring people together for food, fun, and frolicking. This may include Festivus, Winter Solstice, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, and Independence Days for Kenya, Qatar, Bahrain, Libya, Mongolia, Finland, Tanzania, Portugal, and many more.
Though these are just a few significant dates people may celebrate or take time off to take care of themselves, friends or family, there are many different traditions associated with each holiday or significant day. Learning about the significance, stories, and histories of various holidays can help broaden our perspective beyond the holidays we celebrate year after year.
As active, retired, and student psychotherapists, we know that there are many for whom this time of year is uncomfortable, lonely, isolating, or riddled with thoughts of traumatic experiences, grie,f and loss. We are aware of the tumultuous emotional rollercoaster of this season for many. As we continue through this month of December, we may wish to use inclusive language in how we greet each other and not make assumptions about how people are getting through this time. In addition, we might consider providing our clients and loved ones with a crisis line number/website and other culturally responsive community resources to help them get through this time safely.
We might practise asking open-ended questions of each other first, so we are not making assumptions. For example, “What are you doing over these next few weeks?” This question does not assume someone will be on holiday because they may choose to or must work; it doesn’t assume they will be with family members; and it doesn’t assume they celebrate a specific holiday.
Another open-ended question might be, “How do you spend your time in these winter months?” This example invites discussion without imposing a specific belief, expectation, mood, or pattern of behaviour. Once we’ve learned more about the person we’re talking to, we can then decide how to wish them well.
May all OSRP Members find showers of positivity, pockets of joy, and prosperity in HEALTH, WEALTH, and WISDOM in 2025!!!
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This was my first chat with a Qualifying member, and I was excited to meet her. Mahzad is warm, caring, and passionate about helping others. She shared her career path, which began with a BA in psychology and sociology. She started working with the autism community by volunteering and eventually found a job in the field. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she decided to pursue psychotherapy and attended Yorkville University.
Mahzad currently holds three roles: a full-time care coordinator position in the autism space with Access OAP, an independent contractor role at a private clinic, and she facilitates a weekly group therapy session for families with loved ones in rehab. She loves her work with the autism population and plans to focus more in that area moving forward.
We also talked about the importance of self-care for therapists. We agreed that, as therapists, taking care of our own well-being is essential to continue providing quality support to our clients. She’s mindful of the need to set boundaries, prioritize rest, and engage in activities that rejuvenate her. Our conversation reinforced how self-care isn’t just about relaxation — it’s about creating sustainable habits that prevent burnout and help therapists stay grounded, resilient, and present for those they serve.
Outside of work, Mahzad enjoys long walks, reading fiction (currently reading The Nightingale), practising yoga, and spending time with her pets. I even got to meet her cat, Pishi, who was sleeping as we chatted on Zoom. Although she identifies as an introvert, she cherishes her social connections as a source of emotional nourishment.
Mahzad can be reached via https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/therapists/mahzad-ghahremani-toronto-on/1352712.
Mahzad has been an OSRP member since 2022 and has less than 100 hours to go before becoming a Clinical member. Thank you, Mahzad, for being part of the OSRP.
With love,
We’re a community of over 1,000 members, and I’d love to meet and showcase as many of you as possible! If you’d like to be featured, please reach out through the form below — I can’t wait to hear and share your story!
For our final seminar of 2024, we are thrilled to share with you how to make your brand unmissable on December 7 from 12 to 1:30 p.m.
Nadine Daff is the Founder and CMO of Starlit Studio, a Creative Agency that specializes in branding and video for coaches and startups.
Nadine combines branding and marketing as seamlessly as a 2-in-1 shampoo. She has successfully monetized numerous business ideas by applying a consistent formula. Her approach to branding is comprehensive, encompassing design, copywriting, and marketability — each an integral part of your brand's constellation.
We look forward to sharing this experience with you.
Click here to register.
OSRP members, join us at our Annual General Meeting (AGM).
Friday, November 22, 2024 1 to 3 p.m. ET, Zoom
You’ll receive a confirmation email that includes the Zoom link when you register.
Here’s some of what’s happening:
Click here to view the agenda.
New to the OSRP? New therapist? Student? Welcome to your professional home!
The AGM is where you get to voice your opinions. It’s where you get to meet the Board and ask questions. It’s where you get to meet your colleagues and find your people. It’s where change happens. It’s where you find out how you might want to contribute to the organization that is your professional home by joining the Board or a committee.
We look forward to seeing you!
Click here to register for the AGM
If you are unable to attend the OSRP AGM scheduled for November 22, 2024, please click on the button below to complete a proxy form. Proxies are required so we can ensure we have a quorum to hold the meeting.
Click here to assign a proxy
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Diviya and I had a dynamic chat about her work, what matters to her in the field of psychotherapy, and some of our core responsibilities as therapists. I am genuinely excited about the new generation of psychotherapists entering the field and feel lucky that so many of them are choosing the OSRP as their professional homebase.
Diviya is warm, articulate, and passionate about the work we do as therapists, and especially interested in decolonizing psychotherapeutic spaces from the old, rigid models of being that are not equitable, inclusive, or diverse. She is a graduate of Yorkville University and utilizes Relational Somatic IFS (Internal Family Systems) in her practice. She shared that therapy was not part of her inherited culture, but after trying therapy and seeing the deeply positive impact on her sense of self and her relationship with the colonized aspect of her culture, she decided to pursue it as a career and a calling.
Decolonization of self, culture, and therapeutic practices is at the heart of her work with clients. She mentioned that part of the reason she joined the OSRP was the Society’s commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion practices. She calls on the board and the Society to do more to further the practice toward liberation from colonized systems of being.
She finds solace and inspiration in nature and shared with me some of her current reading material:
The Pain We Carry: Healing from Complex PTSD for People of Color by Natalie Gutierrez
For anyone interested, she’s also a co-founder of a listserv that has Equity and Justice as their core principal: Therapists of Equity & Justice
Diviya is accepting clients at the moment and can be found here: https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/therapists/diviya-lewis-toronto-on/408104
Thank you, Diviya, for sharing your contagious passion with us!
We also released several policies.
The listserv policy and acknowledgment form were released in the spring, in conjunction with the launch of our new listserv platform. All members signing up for the platform are required to sign off, ensuring a safe and productive space for member exchange.
Listserv Acknowledgement Form
Listserv Policy
The new policies that were released can be found below.
These policies were crafted in tandem with the by-laws changes that were approved. The intent and vision was to ensure that our by-laws and policies align with and encompass OSRP's commitment to equitable practices in everything we do. We have come to realize in recent years that these policies are necessary as we grow and forge a path forward. Click on the buttons below to view the new policies.
Conflict of Interest Policy
Conflict Resolution Policy
Contractor Hiring Policy
Anti-Discrimination Policy
Sharing of Race-based Data Policy
Whistleblower Protection Policy
Abolish the Position of Parliamentarian
Privacy Policy / Contact Us / Login
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